Travertine on Bathroom walls

[oldguy]

Considering using 457x305 travertine tiles.

All walls are plasterboard, with a plaster skim.

2 walls are external dot and dab, 2 walls are partition wall.

I've read about what adhesive, sealer, etc to use,

BUT

I'm a bit concerned about the weight of these things on the plasterboard.

Are these tiles too heavy to fit on the walls?
Will they hold on the plaster?
Will they stick to painted plaster?

thanks in advance.....

 

[Richard C]

Maximum tile weight for plaster or plaster skim in good condition is 20 kg/sqm I’m afraid & that includes the weight of the cement adhesive (which you will need) & grout which will be up to 4 kg/sqm so reducing the maximum wt of tiles even furthe; anything over 8mm thick are likely to be too heavy but you need to check.

Depending on actual tile weight, you should remove the existing plasterboard, fit new 12mm square edge, Moisture Resistant PB in dray areas & tile directly onto that; unskimed boards will take 32kg/sqm but, again, you need to check the actual weight of the tiles. A decent tile backer board will take anything between 50-60 kg/sqm depending on make so that’s what may be needed; you should be using a waterproof backer board in wet areas anyway if you want it to last; ordinary PB & even MR PB should be tanked. Read the tiling sticky & archive posts BEFORE you start buying materials or do any prep & check back on here if in any doubt. Be careful with travertine as using the wrong coulour adhesive/grout or fixing unsealed tiles can lead to permanent staining; Travertine is not the ideal choice for a novice DIY project.